Mate coming from a person who has been in sales positions since I finished year 12 (10 years)....goto uni. If you want to get into the fishing industry, do a business degree. If you want to be involved in the tackle industry, a business degree will be really handy to have and will see be a hell of a lot more eligible for positions and help you climb or even bypass positions a lot quicker if your looking to work with market leaders. Just remember that tackle companies are businesses, and the better educated you are in how they work, the more they are going to want you to help their business succeed!

If I had my time again I would have done uni, as much as the thought of it makes me cringe. Im even possibly going to start doing a business degree by correspondence next year so that I have options if I ever want to leave what I'm doing. Having a qualification to back up your experience will keep you ahead of the rest for the rest of your life. Without it you will need a lot of luck, know some people and work extremely hard to prove your worth without a degree. As an employer I would always prefer someone with formal training and experience over experience alone.

I rarely agreed with my old man. But one thing he did say and I say this to my 4 boys now. Whatever it is just get a qualification !!!

Once you get a qualification. doors will open.
If you love the tackle industry, try to get a part time job while you are at uni. Do the Management course and if you still love the tackle industry , do something that involves the management skills you learnt at Uni. Atleast you will be paid more than the guys on the shop floor.

As I type this I am trying to think of the guys that I know in the tackle/fishing industry that have done well.............
One guy got into the magazine industry, then help start the tourny scene that we love so much. In my mind he has been the most successful.(you guys know who I'm talking about )
Another guy that looks like he's doing well , has stepped up to manage the family import/ sales and now his own comps.
Apart from those 2 I struggle to see guys in the tackle fishing world that look like they are doing pretty well.

In short. don't listen to all your Dad says. just some.
Look at the tackle industry as part time.
Get some sort of qualification (knowing how to use an eftpos machine is not one !!)

I was going to reply to this when I first saw it yesterday, but didnt want to seem like a crank telling you to follow your parents advice, but now everyone has already done it, take the advice man, get some sort of paper behind you.

I am only 26, did what you did (in a different industry though), and I will freely admit it is the wrong road to follow. If you turn you passion into your job eventually its just a place you have to go to keep the monkey off your back. However, get a good qualification and you will probably earn good enough money to enjoy your passion to a higher level.

Its not saying you cant make it going down your path, I did, have a nice house, boat, enough nice fishing gear to keep me happy, but its not the easy road. I look at my girlfriend, 3 years out of Uni at 24, makes like 3 times what I make and probably works half as hard, thats where you want to be mate, money sucks, but life is easier when you have enough of it...

'Piranha' - I'd call working in a tacklestore a real job.. Yeah you might not have many skills on 'paper'(qualifications), but you still have a real job that earns you money in my opinion. And it shouldn't be just a job... this goes to everyone.. It should be something that you are good at, enjoy and can contribute back to the community with

What would you earn on the retail floor, $17-20 per hour? probably enough to support yourself but what if you decide to have a family down the track.

I once shared your ideals about working within an industry that i have passion for, I chose to study freshwater aquaculture instead of being a chippy because i love fish, I worked in the industry for a few years before drought hit sending most buisnesses broke and forcing me to find alternate work like chippy labouring for the bloke that took the apprentaship that I turned down. we live and learn but wish i had have listened to the advice like what your recieving in these replys from older wiser folk

I've done most of the things that you've mentioned. I work in the fishing tackle industry, I've worked in retail, I've managed retail stores and I've got about 12 months left on my University degree.

I can 100% tell you that my degree is the thing that I am most passionate about...I thought I'd love selling fishing tackle and accessories but to be frank I find it slow and boring...I like a challenge and an upbeat job to keep me interested - leisure retail isn't that.

That's not to say I don't like my job nor that I don't see a future in it but as a retail sales person it is a bit of a dead end career - I really don't mean to offend anybody that enjoys it but the above is my opinion.

There are opportunities on the horizon within the fishing/camping world with some bigger over seas companies looking to move into Australia which will improve competition and make more opportunities within the industry.

I finished year 12 and got a solid UAI, enough to qualify for my Environmental degree straight out of year 12 but I chose to take a gap year and it took my 6 years to get back to it.

I went back to Uni as a so called mature age student, married and with a mortage - I can tell you 100% that doing Uni would be much easier when your 18 and no commitments other than a part time job..

my advice is so stay at school, maybe look at changing subjects to something that you have an interest in - if you love fishing why not look at a fisheries science degree and pick up subjects such as Biology, Chemistry, Environmental science - that's a walk up start to most science degree's in the future...

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Fishing wasn't meant to be easy, otherwise it would be called catching.

Hi life can change in a flash wanted to be a pro triathlete or at least work in the triathlon industry was above average triathlete then bang a accident hurt my spine very bad could not run ,could not cycle,now can not swim not a poor me story I am just saying do both while you can life can change listen to the guys that are saying doors open with a degree. good luck